Competitions delivered by organisations not affiliated with an Australia Sports Commission recognised national sporting organisation or state sporting organisation.

e.g. Competitions organised by Australian Futsal Association.

e.g. Oz tag competitions.

Invitational or Friendship Series competitions

e.g. Basketball - East Coast Slam or Southern Cross Challenge.

e.g. Hockey - Southern Skies Tournament.

Why are only 12 to 18 year olds eligible?The Local Sporting Champions (LSC) program is designed to support sportspeople through the teenage years when research shows that the largest dropout rates occur. It is for this reason that the LSC program aims to provide financial assistance for sportspeople around this time, to ease the financial burden on their families, which will hopefully lead to lower dropout rates.

The lower age limit has been set at 12 years as it is around this age when Australian Sports Commission research shows that junior athletes should start to take sport more seriously and begin competing at the level of competition that is supported by the LSC program. The upper limit of 18 years has been set as at this age the sportspeople are adults, even if in their particular sport they may still be able to compete through the junior or youth pathways.

How many grants are available in my local area?There are 36 individual grants available in each metropolitan electorate and 50 individual grants available in non-metropolitan (provincial or rural) electorates per allocation year (1 March – 28/29 February).

When should I apply?Applications should be submitted after you have been selected to attend the championships and your participation has been confirmed, and must be before the championships commence.

Can I submit more than one application in the same round?Yes, applicants can submit more than one application per round or year. If applicants are attending multiple eligible events, it is encouraged to submit an application for each eligible event, to increase the chances of receiving a grant. It is important to note however that applicants are only eligible to receive one grant per allocation year, and it is at the assessment panel’s discretion to select which application (if any) will receive a grant.

Can I still apply for a grant if I attend the championships before my application is assessed?Yes, you can still apply for a Local Sporting Championships grant if the championships will occur before your application is assessed or you are advised of the outcome to your application.

Due to the assessment timeframes, in many cases if applicants are successful, the grant will be provided after the championships are held. In these cases, the grant is a reimbursement for eligible costs (travel, accommodation, uniforms or equipment) associated with attending the championships.

Remember that applications must be completed and submitted prior to the championships commencing to be eligible.

Can I submit an application after the championships is held?No, applications must be completed and submitted before the championships to be eligible. The online application will not allow applicants to apply after the championships, and applications will not be considered if submitted after the championships have occurred.

Can I save my application and return to complete it later?Yes, you will be able to save the application from step 6 and return to complete it, however all saved applications must be completed and submitted prior to the commencement of the nominated championships to be eligible.

How do I access a saved application?To access a saved application, you will need to complete the first three steps of the application form with the same details and enter the unique access code in step 4, when prompted. The unique access code would have been emailed to your nominated email address when you first saved the application. Once the saved application has been accessed, you will be able to complete and submit your application.

It is important to note that to access a saved application, you will need to complete the first three steps of the application each time you close the browser.

Saved applications that are not submitted will expire in 28 days from when they are first saved. A reminder email will be sent to you 7 days before the application is due to expire, to remind you that you have un-submitted applications.

Can I edit my application after it has been submitted?No, once submitted, applicants can no longer access their application.

If you require any changes to be made to personal details or bank details that were entered incorrectly, you can contact the Local Sporting Champions grant administrators on (02) 6214 1462 or email lsc@ausport.gov.au. Changes such as competition results cannot be added to applications once submitted.

Does submitting an application guarantee that I will receive a grant?No. Unfortunately the Local Sporting Champions program is currently oversubscribed with a large number of applications received each year. There are a limited number of grants available, and in most cases, there are hundreds of applications each round that are unsuccessful.

How is my application assessed?At the conclusion of each round, all eligible applications from each local area are provided to an independent assessment panel. Each assessment panel assess on the needs of the local area. The panels review the information included in the applications and may take the following factors into consideration during the assessment process:

Quality of Application (whether the applicant put time and effort into the application).

Level of Competition (international, national or state).

Demographics of applicants.

Distance travelled to the championships.

Age of applicants.

Whether the applicant has previously received a Local Sporting Champions grant.

Additional information such as results or selection into further representative teams cannot be added to the application after the championship occurs. As the applications are assessed solely on the details provided, results and further selection details do not affect an applicant’s chance of success.

How long until I know if my application has been successful?The Local Sporting Champions program is administered in three rounds per allocation year (1 March – 28/29 February), with the assessment of applications conducted three times a year. The timeframe for when an application is assessed, and applicants notified of the outcome, is determined by when the application is submitted, as detailed below:

Round

Round Opening & Closing Dates*

Assessment Timeline

Applicants Notified

Round 3, 2016/17

1 Nov 2016 - 28 Feb 2017

Mar- Apr 2017

Apr 2017

Round 1, 2017/18

1 Mar 2017 - 30 Jun 2017

Jul - Aug 2017

Aug 2017

Round 2, 2017/18

1 Jul 2017 - 31 Oct 2017

Nov - Dec 2017

Dec 2017

Round 3, 2017/18

1 Nov 2017 - 28 Feb 2018

Mar - Apr 2018

Apr 2018

Round 1, 2018/19

1 Mar 2018 - 30 Jun 2018

Jul - Aug 2018

Aug 2018

*Note: Applications must be submitted within these dates to be assessed during the specified round.

How will I be advised if I am successful or not?If successful, applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application via:

Email;

Letter;

Phone call; and/or

Invited to attend an event.

If unsuccessful or ineligible, applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application via email.

If successful, how long will it take to receive my grant?If successful, your $500 grant will be transferred to the nominated bank account listed on your application, or presented as a cheque, two weeks after you have been advised of the successful outcome of your application.

What do I do if my details have changed since submitting an application?If your contact details change since submitted an application, please contact the Local Sporting Champions grant administrators on (02) 6214 1462 or email lsc@ausport.gov.au

What do I do if I can no longer attend my nominated championships?If your circumstances change and you are no longer able to attend the nominated championships, please contact the Local Sporting Champions grant administrators on (02) 6214 1462 or email lsc@ausport.gov.au

Why was someone in my team successful, but I wasn’t?Applications are assessed by independent assessment panels from each local area. Each assessment panel receives a varying number of applications and assess on the needs of the local area.

If a team member is successful in receiving a grant, and you are not, it is likely that:

Your team member’s application included additional information and the quality of the application placed them in a better position to be considered for a grant; and/or

Your team member resides in a different area to you and their application was assessed by a different assessment panel.

Do I have to keep records of how I spent the grant?Yes, if successful, you may be selected to conduct a check on the use and expenditure of the grant to fulfil the Australian Sports Commissions auditing obligations. These obligations are set out in the program Terms and Conditions.

If contacted by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) to conduct an audit, you must comply with any requests and provide the ASC, or its authorised representatives, with records confirming that the $500 grant was used towards the below costs when participating at the nominated championships:

Travel;

Accommodation;

Uniforms; or

Equipment.

These records can be invoices or receipts confirming the date and amount relevant to the your attendance at the nominated championships.

If I have received a grant, when will I be eligible to receive another grant?You will be eligible to apply for another grant at the start of each allocation year, which is 1 March.